Nurture is an architecture studio driven to create positive environmental impacts that consciously sustain communities and culture.
We champion the built environment that came before us, the people present in our practice, and the future of our cities.
About Us
Nurture is deeply rooted in historic preservation. Our architects have passionately led the care of cultural icons, civic treasures, and neighborhood character for nearly 50 years. As partners, we assist teams nationwide with preservation design, conditions assessments, and technical documentation. As project leaders, we defend historic architecture and champion adaptive reuse through a balanced approach, together with historians, conservators, and building scientists. We believe preservation is the bridge between past and future, where history is harmonized with equitable sustainability. Our firm respects the tremendous value of our built environment and strives to revitalize these places so they continue to stand the test of time.
Nurture is committed to a sustainable future. Our firm has cultivated a portfolio of case studies, certifications, and credentials that prove our commitment towards responsible and regenerative design. As architects, we are inspired by nature and how her patterns and processes inform our systems and materials. As building scientists, we hold ourselves and our projects equally accountable, identifying and implementing metrics that are essential to evaluate our progress. We are compelled by the urgency of our climate crisis and are relentless in our pursuit of carbon independence in order to make a positive impact for our planet.
Our History
The history of Nurture spans nearly a fifty-year period and is deeply intertwined with the history of historic preservation in Chicago. Wilbert Hasbrouck, the original founder of HPZS, began his architectural career in Chicago establishing the Prairie School Press in 1961, publisher of the Prairie School Review, and later opening and operating the world-famous Prairie Avenue Bookshop with his wife Marilyn. After his years as the executive director of AIA Chicago from 1968 to 1975, Wilbert started his firm, Historic Resources – The Office of Wilbert R. Hasbrouck in 1975. At that time Wilbert was one of only two architects in Chicago who seriously promoted the preservation and restoration of the buildings that comprise the historic fabric of the city.
In 1986, after collaborating on the award-winning restoration of the Grand Traverse County Courthouse restoration, Wilbert Hasbrouck and Jim Peterson founded Hasbrouck Peterson. In 1991, Henry Zimoch joined his office with the firm, and along with Jay Sirirattumrong, the firm became the name HPZS. Since 2014 and for the past decade, April Hughes has led Nurture as a 100% woman-owned firm, bringing her expertise in award-winning sustainable design to the practice and leading the charge to Preserve A Sustainable Future.
Nurture is the only Woman-Owned Illinois architecture firm and one of two architectural organizations headquartered in Chicago to have a Just 2.0 label. Administered by the International Living Futures Institute (ILFI), the JUST™ program outlines a firms performance against specific social and equity indicators that are housed with six general categories: Diversity and Inclusion, Equity, Employee Health, Employee Benefits, Stewardship, and Purchasing and Supply Chain. The result of participation in this program is the JUST™ label, a publicly accessible scorecard transparently declaring the firm’s current performance measured against these metrics. Nurture is proud to be included in these endeavors, marking the beginning of a new era of corporate transparency.
Then
Nurture evolved from HPZS, a long running studio renowned for historic preservation and sustainable design.
Now
Our firm is deeply committed to transparency and opportunity, being 100% woman-owned, woman-led, and JUST™ certified.
Services
Architecture
Interiors
Sustainable Design
Historic Preservation
Biophilic and Materials Workshops
Facade Restoration
Third Party Certifications
Materials & Building Conservation
Certified Passive House Consulting
Awards
